The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Science. The lowest is 18% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Easton Elementary School
Easton Elementary serves the early grades—prekindergarten through fifth grade—in a Winston-Salem neighborhood on the city's east side. It is a regular public school in the Winston Salem / Forsyth County Schools district, with an enrollment of about five hundred students.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black population and smaller Asian and white enrollment. Nearly all students—approaching universal levels—qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing Easton among the district's most economically concentrated schools. The school's composition reflects both the neighborhood's demographic makeup and broader enrollment patterns in the district.
Academic performance on state End-of-Grade tests, administered in grades three through five, shows concerning results. In mathematics, fewer than three in ten students scored at proficiency. English language arts proficiency was lower still, with fewer than one in five students meeting the state standard. Science results, tested only at grade five, were stronger at around four in ten students proficient, though this represents only a smaller subset of the school's enrollment. Reading and math proficiency gaps of this magnitude warrant conversation with the school about instructional strategies, classroom composition, and available supports.
The school also serves a number of very young learners in prekindergarten and kindergarten, and state testing data does not reflect their grade band, so the school's full academic picture extends beyond what these metrics capture.
Easton sits within a city experiencing measured growth and reinvestment. Winston-Salem, after reversing decades of population loss, has been actively converting historic warehouse and manufacturing buildings into downtown housing and mixed-use space. The Innovation Quarter, a former tobacco-empire district, now anchors research and residential development. The broader Forsyth County economy is anchored by healthcare (Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Novant Health as the two largest employers), Wake Forest University, and diversified manufacturing and financial services. Median home values in the zip code where Easton is located are modest relative to state benchmarks, and rental costs are below the national average, making the neighborhood relatively affordable. The area does not appear to be gentrifying rapidly; the economic texture is stable and price-conscious.
At the district level, families should know that a major bond project shortfall was addressed in 2023 without a property tax rate increase, and three planned projects (a new middle school near Smith Farm and expansions at Griffith and Ward Elementary) remain postponed. The district has adopted a modified academic calendar beginning in 2026-27 with an August 10 start date and late-May end date, earlier than state statute permits, which affects planning for childcare and summer programs.
For families considering Easton, the profile is a small elementary school in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood, with low state test results in literacy and math that fall well below the district median. The school's early grades (PK and kindergarten) enroll many students, and the testing data reflects only grades three and higher. Parent or prospective family conversations with school staff about literacy and math interventions, English learner support, and classroom resources would be prudent.
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